Agenda item

The Scrutiny and Overview Committee reviewed the detailed General Fund budget packs for each of the Council’s service areas.

In response to a question prompted by paragraph 13 of the report, the Head of Finance explained how the allocation of service charges had been simplified.

The Head of Finance noted a comment that an overview of the budgets as a whole would be helpful in identifying the Council’s overall expenditure on things like performance development and youth engagement.

In response to an observation that there was a significant difference between estimates and actuals for food safety & water quality and health and safety at work, the Head of Climate, Environment and Waste said that the demand-led nature of such services made accurate prediction impossible. The Head of Finance reiterated that that the simplified method of presenting the allocation of service charges meant that more detailed data, though available, was not shown in the information included in the appendices to the report, for example in relation to licensing.

Responding to a specific remark about the importance of data collection regarding zero-carbon communities, the Leader of the Council referred to the recent Peer Review’s praise for how the Council used data and reminded the Committee about the proposed new data team. The Chief Executive invited Members to suggest areas in which more detailed data could add value.

Following further discussion, and having received responses to questions asked by Committee members and reviewed the draft budgets at appendices 1 to 7 of the report, the Scrutiny and Overview Committee commended the detailed directorate draft budgets to Cabinet.